The Villain Slaps The Protagonist’s Halo - Chapter 126 (Patreon)

Chapter 126: Hunting the World

Nie Jia watched as Shi Chen disappeared into the light, feeling somewhat stunned. The off-road vehicle came to a halt, and the sound of the wind ceased. An Yuan spat out blood and opened the car door, tumbling out.

"The boss is back! Oh no, An Yuan is injured! Meng Yao, Meng Yao!" Many people immediately crowded around, lifting An Yuan down, while others gathered around the car, looking up at Nie Jia.

After a while, Nie Jia stepped out of the car, looking around wearily. It seemed to be a basement, dimly lit with titanium walls, somewhat aged, resembling a military base from a century ago in peacetime.

"Boss, are you okay?" Many people gathered around, their expressions anxious. It was evident they had been deeply concerned about Nie Jia's safety during the days their leader was captured.

"Boss, only Meng Yao is here at the base. She's treating An Yuan. It might take a while to remove the signal source from your neck, but thankfully, we're out of their signal range now," someone explained to Nie Jia.

Nie Jia recalled the moment when An Yuan was shot by Shi Chen. He said flatly, "Lead the way."

He followed a few people to the room where An Yuan lay. He had been shot at close range, the large-caliber sniper bullet piercing through him, leaving him in critical condition. Such wounds posed a challenge even for Meng Yao, a Tier 3 medical practitioner. She pressed her hands against An Yuan's chest, but despite only a few minutes passing since they returned, there was little improvement in his condition, and Meng Yao was already showing signs of exhaustion.

"Has Meng Jia returned? I can't hold on much longer..." Meng Yao bit her lip, turning to Nie Jia with tears pooling in her eyes.

The tears of a medical professional were unsettling. An Yuan had lost too much blood, slipping into unconsciousness, his youthful face now ashen, as if he could perish at any moment.

Someone said anxiously, "We looked for her, but Meng Jia is nowhere to be found. We can't sense her presence at all!"

The surrounding companions all wore expressions of anxiety and sorrow.

"I'll handle this," Nie Jia stepped forward, grasping An Yuan's hand.

After all, An Yuan had come to rescue him and had been wounded by Shi Chen in the process. Nie Jia felt a slight pang of guilt. His own abilities were not limited by the world, and with his vastly improved abilities since the previous cycles, ordinary healing did not drain him. He gently squeezed An Yuan's hand, and within moments, the wound began visibly healing.

The surrounding people gasped in amazement. They had heard An Yuan mention that their leader had awakened other abilities, but they hadn't believed it until now. With a sudden cough, An Yuan, who had been on the brink of death, sat up in bed.

"What about the signal source in your neck..." 

"It's been removed. No need to worry," Nie Jia's tone was somewhat indifferent, offering no explanation for his new abilities. He simply told An Yuan, "You've lost too much blood. Rest well."

With that, he turned and left.

The others exchanged bewildered glances. What was going on with their boss?

The Hunters' base was large in scale, but there were few people inside. Those not at the base were presumably out causing trouble.

The air felt unusually cold.

Nie Jia took the elevator to the ground floor, standing at a height and gazing out at the vast ruins beyond the window. It was only then that he truly sensed the desolation of this world.

Human civilization had been destroyed. In such an era, insisting that the original host, Nie Jia, was a villainous overlord seemed somewhat far-fetched. Given the devastation of the world, the absence of civilization, and the days when even food was scarce, what distinction remained between good and evil? It all seemed overly sentimental.

Nie Jia chuckled to himself, finding himself surprisingly in agreement with the actions of the original host. Perhaps he was never a good person to begin with.

"What are you thinking?" KK asked. Nie Jia hadn't immediately left to find the director upon his return, surprising KK a little.

"With the ongoing conflicts and the tense relationship between Huaxia, Shark Faction, and the Oasis, there's a delicate balance. If I lead the Hunters to pledge allegiance to Huaxia, it could save Shi Chen a lot of trouble," Nie Jia stated frankly.

The cold evening wind carried a hint of sand, causing Nie Jia to squint slightly.

KK said, "Actually, with your strength alone, you can disrupt this balance. The problem now is how you're going to accomplish this mission. Even if you can get every member of the Hunters organization to accept the human government and the Shark Faction under your leadership, your mission still won't be complete."

Nie Jia didn't respond, standing by the window for half the night.

The next day, An Yuan, now fully recovered, jumped out of bed and went to find Nie Jia.

"Boss!" An Yuan burst in excitedly, finding Nie Jia sitting by the window, studying a map.

He glanced up at An Yuan. "What is it?"

"I've brought you breakfast!" An Yuan grinned, offering Nie Jia the meal like a devoted follower, then crouching beside him, eyes filled with admiration. "Boss, you're amazing. We're all speculating if you've advanced."

"Hmm," Nie Jia replied casually.

An Yuan bounced up, his face flushed with excitement. "Really?! I knew it! Boss, now that you're so powerful, what's our next move? Should we take down the Oasis? Ning Lang, who used to be our opponent, is now the new head of the Oasis. We don't know what he's up to."

"Is the Oasis so easy to take? Would Huaxia and America wait until now?" Nie Jia broke a cookie and dipped it into milk.

An Yuan pouted, then chuckled. "Yeah, we should take our time. Anyway, whatever you do, I'll follow."

"Call the others back," Nie Jia suddenly said. "I have an announcement to make."

"I heard you're back, and most of the others are back too. The rest should be here by this afternoon if the sensors go out to find them," An Yuan said, skipping out. "I'll send the sensors to find them now."

Nie Jia remained silent, breaking another cookie into his milk, untouched.

Before An Yuan could gather everyone, Nie Jia wandered around the base. It resembled a small nation, with people of all ages and their own fields and pastures. The basic principles of the Hunters organization were no different from those of the three countries; all fought for their survival.

"Nie Gege!" A girl in red ran over, holding two baby rabbits, her face beaming with happiness. She wasn't as tall as Nie Jia's leg, but she held the rabbits up to him with pride. "Look, the wild rabbit you brought me last time had babies!"

Nie Jia smiled gently, squatting down to pet the rabbits' heads. "Did you name them?"

The girl tilted her head, puzzled. "They're going to be eaten when they grow up. Why name them?"

Nie Jia was momentarily taken aback, watching the girl's bouncing figure as she ran off, then thinking of the vast ruins outside the base.

Around two in the afternoon, all the Hunters returned to the base.

"I heard you're now Tier 6, boss! Is it true?"

"Tier 6? Wow, we can walk sideways from now on!"

"Boss is amazing!"

An Yuan stood proudly beside Nie Jia, tilting his head up. "Of course, it's true. Boss even killed Kong Fei, and Shen Su couldn't even fight back in front of him."

Nie Jia leaned back in his chair in the hall, scanning the excited group. Each one seemed more thrilled than the last, as if they had found the greatest hope. The overwhelming joy in their eyes was truly awe-inspiring.

Nie Jia stood up, gesturing for silence with one hand. The abilities closed their mouths, waiting for their leader's words.

But instead of leading them forward, their leader said, "From now on, I'm no longer your leader. I'm leaving the Hunters."

Suddenly, everyone's faces changed. In the entire hall, not a single sound was heard. They watched Nie Jia quietly for a long while before An Yuan laughed awkwardly. "Boss, what are you talking about?"

"From now on, I'll be working for the Huaxia government. But my decision doesn't mean yours. I respect your choices and your way of survival, so I'll leave alone. Perhaps we'll meet again on the battlefield. If you see me, try to run as far as you can. I'll give each of you one chance," Nie Jia said quietly, his fingertips slowly tightening.

"Boss, did something happen at the reformation camp? Are you being threatened by the Huaxia government?" An Yuan panicked, the pride and arrogance on his face fading, replaced by fear and helplessness.

Nie Jia patted his shoulder, then addressed everyone, "Bring everyone back. It's time to tell them what's going on. Be prepared to face it. After I leave, if necessary, I may reveal the location and defenses of the base, as well as each of your abilities. If anyone wants to leave with me, I can guarantee their safety. For those who don't, start working hard now to become stronger and fight for your own survival space."

The abilities remained quiet until now, or perhaps they were completely at a loss.

"I'm leaving." Nie Jia said, turning and walking away, especially cold and heartless.

"Why!" An Yuan called after him, and Nie Jia saw his eyes red with tears and streaked with sorrow. "Why are you abandoning us? You said you'd lead us to create a new world without war. You said once we wiped out the humans and the porcine faction, we could usher in true peace. It was you who taught me that because of cowards like the porcine faction, who hide and serve humans, our Shark Faction has always been targeted. We just need to kill them all!"

"Why are you abandoning us!" An Yuan's voice grew hoarse as he shouted, his gaze at Nie Jia filled not only with despair but also with burning anger.

Other abilities erupted into turmoil and argument, feeling abandoned by their leader. Some wanted to angrily accuse, while others, loyal to the end, wanted to follow Nie Jia.

"Because I want to live in a place where there is light with the person I love," Nie Jia said softly. "I don't want to do anything that makes him unhappy. So, goodbye."

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